> Theft means taking someone's property without their consent.
Actually, it doesn't. Well, it certainly isn't the whole story.
IANAL, but this snippet from a web page accords almost precisely with my memory of what I learned when I had cause to deal with such a matter professionally:
> A person is guilty of theft if he dishonestly
> appropriates property belonging to another with
> the intention of permanently depriving the other
> of it ...
According to law, it's not theft if you did it honestly, or if you intended to give it back. "Consent" is not part of the legal definition.
EDIT: I note that the wikipedia article mentions consent. These things will differ between English, American and other country's laws.
Certainly in the case of taxes the intent is to deprive permanently, so it comes down to whether it's dishonest. Since the government makes the laws, and the government won't want taxation to be declared theft, we can deduce that taxation isn't dishonest.
Actually, it doesn't. Well, it certainly isn't the whole story.
IANAL, but this snippet from a web page accords almost precisely with my memory of what I learned when I had cause to deal with such a matter professionally:
According to law, it's not theft if you did it honestly, or if you intended to give it back. "Consent" is not part of the legal definition.EDIT: I note that the wikipedia article mentions consent. These things will differ between English, American and other country's laws.
Certainly in the case of taxes the intent is to deprive permanently, so it comes down to whether it's dishonest. Since the government makes the laws, and the government won't want taxation to be declared theft, we can deduce that taxation isn't dishonest.
According to the government.